Before the Crash
by xkatrina
Summary: Who knew that before the crash, 3 survivors met each other awkwardly. Now that one of them remembers, everything becomes clearer to him...
1. The 3 Of Us

Jack lazily kicked a rock, sighing with boredom. He had just walked to the park, after a hard day at high school. Jack was 16, and he was roaming around. He looked around for a shady area and found a tree, sitting alone in the middle of the park. Smiling, Jack walked over to it.

Sitting down and leaning against the tree, he observed the kids who were happily playing tag and riding on the swing set. He heard the leaves in the tree shake, which startled him. Looking up, he saw nothing but… leaves. Of course. He shrugged to himself, thinking it was the wind. The tree shook again.

He stood up immediately, standing in front of the tree bark. He looked up at the leaves and saw a girl, grinning down at him, amused.

"_What are you doing up there?_" Jack asked, cautiously taking a step back. The girl simply shrugged, continuing to grin.

"Can't you see?" she asked, looking around. "I'm on a tree. I just climbed it."

"Well, you might fall or something," Jack said, crossing his arms. The girl laughed out loud, leaving Jack standing and feeling embarrassed.

"I _assure_ you," the girl said, leaning forward, "I _won't _fall" But the girl lost her balance as she leaned forward. Crying out, she fell forward to the ground. Being the quick thinker he is, Jack rushed over to her, ready to catch her. His arms spread out, the girl fell on Jack, leaving both of them on the ground, gasping and coughing.

"And you said you _wouldn't_ fall," Jack said, chuckling. The girl could feel her face getting red. After she got off of him, they both started to laugh, sitting on the grass. Jack stared at her, who smiled shyly at him. "I… don't know you're name."

The girl smiled, saying, "It's Kate."

Jack smiled back, looking down at the grass. "Jack."

"So, _Jack_," Kate said in a playful tone, "what are you going to be when you grow up?"

Jack shrugged. "A doctor, probably. My dad could help me, anyway. It would be easier. Why? What would _you_ like to do when you grow up?"

"Um…" Kate thought, her vision going skyward. She looked back at Jack. "I… don't know, really."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Jack said, shrugging. "What _were_ you doing on that tree, anyways?"

"I told you already," Kate said, rolling her eyes playfully. "I was _climbing_ it."

"No," Jack said seriously. "What were you doing on it?"

Kate's smile faded. "Resting," she replied quietly.

"Well," Jack said, chuckling, "that answers my question. And good thing I caught you, too, because you could've gotten seriously injured. What are you doing in the park?" He looked confused. "What am _I_ doing in the park?"

Kate giggled. "I just wanted to… um, hang… out?"

Jack looked at Kate suspiciously. "Okay…"

"Well, who is this?" a voice called out.

Kate looked behind Jack, and Jack turned around. Jack heard Kate sigh. Jack turned around to face Kate again. "Hey, Kate, who's he?"

"Some total jerk who likes to tease people. C'mon," she said, standing up, "let's ditch."

Jack stood up, glancing at the boy again. He smiled at Jack, then spat on the ground. Jack looked away and started to follow Kate.

"Hey! Kate!" the boy called out. Surprised, Kate looked back.

"How does he know your name?" Jack asked quizzically.

"We met at the park the other day. Now c'mon, let's go," Kate answered impatiently.

"Now lookee here," the boy said as he walked up to Jack and Kate. "Who is this, Kate? Your boyfriend or something?"

Kate stopped in her tracks, turned around slowly.

"Leave me alone," she ordered quietly. "Go away."

"Why should I?" the boy asked, crossing his arms. "You want to be all alone with your new boyfriend? By the way, what's your name, kid?" He looked at Jack crossing his arms.

"The name's Jack. Jack Sheperd." Jack smiled half-heartedly at him.

"Now go away!" Kate cried, louder this time.

"Whoa," the boy said, raising his hands up defensively. "I'll leave you alone…" A smile crept on his face. "Does he know, Kate? Does he know your 'secret'?"

"Secret? What are you talking about?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh," the boy said, smiling mischievously, "so he _doesn't_ know."

"Shut up, or I'll…," Kate glared at the boy, crossing her arms.

"You'll do what to me, huh?" the kid asked, laughing. "What are you going to do now, Freckles?"


	2. Revealed

"_Freckles?_" Jack questioned, looking at the boy in disbelief. "Excuse me, but _what is your name?_"

The boy laughed. "Call me James, okay?" he said seriously. Jack took a step back toward Kate.

"Okay…," Jack said, fiddling with his shirttail. "Alright then, James."

"Jack!" Kate said, trying to get Jack's attention. Suddenly Jack came back down to earth. Kate started to walk away from where James was standing, with Jack right behind her.

"Sorry," Jack muttered under his breath. Kate turned around to face Jack, once they were far enough away from James. She had a pleading look on her face.

"Please, _please_," she begged, "stay away from him. You do _not_ know how maniac-ish he can tend to be, you know. He's kind of crazy up here." Kate pointed to her head. Jack crossed his arms, staring at the ground.

"Why?" he asked. Kate smirked.

"I just told you."

"Okay, okay. Promise." Jack smiled, and so did Kate. "So, Miss Kate, where are we off to now? Another tree, perhaps? Or are we going to randomly meet some other crazy whacked-up kid like James or something? What's on the schedule?" Jack chuckled, and Kate laughed out loud, turning around. She smiled slyly, then turned around, running for it. That took Jack off guard.

"Hey!" he cried, starting to run after Kate. "Wait up! Where are you going? Or- where are _we_ going?"

Kate ran, continuing to laugh. Smiling, Jack ran up to her, so he was right behind Kate. Pouncing on her back, he sent them both to the grass, laughing wildly. James walked up to them, watching them on the ground on their backs, smiling to himself.

"What do you want now?" Kate asked, trying hard not to laugh anymore. "Huh, _James?"_

"_None of your business," he said coldly, his smile fading. He glared at Jack. Jack glared back._

"What do you wa-?" Before Jack could say any more, he felt a cold and hard slap across his face. He fell to the ground, wincing in pain. He put a hand over his cheek, and immediately Kate dropped down next to him, seeing if Jack was alright.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Jack said to Kate. Jack stood up and gave James a good punch in the stomach.

"What the hell was that for?" James asked. "You hit like a girl."

"Hey!" Kate cried, putting her hands on her hips. "Shut up and stop fighting! The two of you!"

"Don't tell me what to say!" James cried back in Kate's face.

"Hey!" Jack cried, standing in font of Kate. "Don't yell at her!"

"Well," James said, smiling, "I didn't know you had to be the hero in everything, Jack-o."

"Shut up with nicknames, okay?" Kate cried out loud, dramatically throwing her arms up. "Stop judging people! What did your parents teach you?"

"Well, gee, I don't know," James said, his grin widening. "I thought parents never told you to run away and flee from enemies and trouble that _you caused._" His smile faded. He turned away and started to walk around Kate in slow, steady circles. "I thought you had to stick with your parents until you're old, and look at you, Sweet Stuff. You're what? Fifteen or so? You don't have a clue where you are, and where you're going. You ran, Kate. So start running. Cause you know what? _Troubles coming._"

James turned around and walked away, whistling a tune to himself. Kate dropped to the floor, her head in her hands.

"What was that about?" Jack asked, crossing his arms. He sat down next to Kate. He looked at her, but she didn't want to make eye contact with him.

"I, um, have to go now," she said quietly, almost in a whisper. She stood up and ran, out of Jack's sight.

"Maybe we'll meet again," Jack whispered to himself quietly. He turned and started to walk home.


	3. The Present

**Now Jack realizes everything from his flashback, and he remembers that he's now on the island, trying to survive.**

"Damn flashbacks," he mumbled to himself. He was on his way to visit one person. Sawyer.

"Hey, Doc," Sawyer greeted Jack as soon as he saw him. "What now? Am I due for another check-up or something like that?" Jack shook his head. Sawyer raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Okay, then, Jack-o. Why are you here?"

"I remember something," Jack said, standing in front of Sawyer. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What?" Sawyer asked eagerly. "Did I do somethin' wrong?"

"Nah, Sawyer," Jack said, shaking his head. "Or should I say _James?_"

"Huh? How'd you know my name?" Sawyer asked, standing up. "Have you been stalkin' me or somethin', Doc, because you'll get what you deserve." Sawyer grabbed the collar of Jack's shirt. Jack sighed, shaking his head again.

"The park. Remember? You _knew_ Kate before, didn't you?" Jack narrowed his eyes. Kate was eavesdropping, for she had followed Jack, wondering curiously where he was going. She hid behind a tree, listening to their conversation.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sawyer asked, spitting on the ground. "I never knew Kate. Kate as in Freckles? Yeah, I never knew her."

"Well, then tell my damn flashbacks to go away!" Jack cried. "I knew her too, James, so don't try to lie. You know it, and so do I! We met at the park somewhere in October, and we were all about fifteen or sixteen. So don't make up excuses. You called me a hero, or something crappy like that. You called Kate Freckles, and you told me you were James!"

Sawyer stared blankly at Jack. Suddenly, he kicked the sand on the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" he cried out loud. "Yeah, I sure as hell did meet ya, but why in hell's fire do you have to remind me!"

Kate stepped out of her hiding place. Jack and Sawyer turned around.

"I remember," she said quietly. "I remember _everything_. I ran, because of _you_." She turned to Sawyer, giving him a cold glare. "You made me run away."

"Jack, you son of a gun! Why did you have to burst in here and tell me!" Sawyer cried, pushing Jack back in the chest, leaving him stumbling. "That was friggin' pointless! Now you just got me angrier." Sawyer stormed away, disappearing in the bushes.

"What made you remember something like _that_?" Kate asked, smiling. "That was so… random."

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? Stupid flashbacks."

"Wow," Kate said, her face with no emotion. "I can't believe I do remember that moment. And you know what's funny?" She turned to face Jack. She grinned.

"Don't know," Jack replied, shrugging. "What?"

"I can't believe it, but I used to have a crush on you, and I didn't even know who you were," Kate replied, grinning widely. She smiled slyly at Jack, then turned around, and started to run.

"Hey!" Jack cried. "Where are you going?" He started to run after her. _Just like good ol' times_, he thought. _Good ol' times._

**I've decided to keep going:D**


	4. Climbing Trees

Kate kept running forward, into the jungle. Laughing, she outstretched her arms and cried out gleefully. Jack had never seen her like this before, so he was pretty surprised.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked when Kate stopped in front of a tree. She simply turned around and flashed a grin at him, saying nothing more. Well, she actually didn't _have_ to. Jack knew what she was about to do.

As Kate climbed up the tree, she could hear Jack chuckling below her.

"Just like I found you!" he called up to her.

"Hey," she said, once up the tree. She sat on a thick branch, "Want to come up?"

"Me?" Jack asked. He backed up. "No, no it's okay." He chuckled lightly. "I'm not an amazing climber like you, ya know."

"Oh, c'mon," Kate pleaded, putting her hands together and intertwining her fingers. "_Please_…" Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, finally giving up.

He started to climb up the tree by grabbing branches, and planting his feet on openings or rocks. He was doing pretty well for a beginning, and was up to Kate in no time. Kate rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Right," she said, "a _'beginner'."_ She laughed. "Let's see if you can make it up with me right there." She pointed to the top of the tree, where the branches got thinner. Jack bit his lower lip, and looked up to where Kate pointed, then looked back at the ground.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Jack said, resting a hand on the branch he was sitting on. "What happens if you fall? I mean, what happens if _I fall?_" Kate giggled.

"You won't fall if you concentrate," she said. "I _always_ concentrate. That's how I'm so good at it. I'm a pro," she said, pretending to be all that. "Anyways, c'mon, let's go. I'll race you to the top."

"Hmm," Jack said, rolling his eyes, "I wonder who'll win."

They started going to the top, when it became so thin that only one of them could go up at a time.

"What the hell are you two doin'?" a voice called out. Kate and Jack turned around. It was Sawyer, of course.

"What does it _look_ like?" Kate asked, smirking. She turned around, and started to climb the tree again.

"Ya' know," Sawyer said, putting his hands on his hips, "if you fall, Freckles, guess who you're going to topple on over?" He laughed out loud. "Now _that_ will be funny."

Not paying any attention, Kate continued climbing, and one of her feet slipped. She cried out, but didn't let go.

"Don't let go!" Jack cried out. He looked down at the ground. "Look how high we are! Kate, maybe we should stop!"

"No!" Kate protested. "We're almost there! There, I'm here!" She held onto the tree, and looked up in the sky. The tree they were climbing on was unbelievably taller than the other ones, so they had a clear view of the beach, the mountains, and the sky. "Wow," Kate mumbled, "it's beautiful."

"Whoa," Jack said, once he was right below Kate. He scooted up a little to see better. "That is amazing." He looked down at the ground and sighed. "You know what I'm afraid of doing now?" He looked at Kate, who shrugged down at him. He said in a flat tone, "_Going down._"

Kate chuckled, then said, "Let's go down now, Jack." But as she said this, when they were already going down, she happened to slip her feet again. But this time, she wasn't holding on to the branches. She toppled on Jack, who caught her arm. He grunted in pain, then started sliding down slowly.

"I have to let got! This isn't as pleasant as it looks!" he cried, and saw that Kate nodded. He let go of the branches and they hit the ground with a _thud_.

"I'm so, so, so sorry," Kate apologized. "I shouldn't have let you climb that tree."

"Nah, it's okay," Jack said honestly, massaging his wrist. "It was quite an… adventure." They heard Sawyer chuckle. He was still there, and now he was laughing at both of them. Kate rolled her eyes.

"I bet you can't climb a tree," she bet Sawyer. Jack rolled his eyes, chuckling.

"Now, Kate," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "let's not start with that again."


	5. Another Flashback

Chuckling at his thoughts, Sawyer said, "I bet you that I can."

"Kate-," Jack started.

"Nah, just let him climb, Jack," Kate said, and turned around to face Jack. She winked at Jack. Not knowing where all this was going, Jack put his hands on his hips. A confused expression crept on his face.

"Okay, then…," he mumbled to himself. "Let's see if you've got good hands," he told Sawyer.

"Okay, Doc," Sawyer said, walking over to the tree, "whatever you say." He put his hands on the tree and got a good grip on one of the branches, and paid full attention to climbing only. Slowly walking back, Kate finally appeared by Jack's side. She looked up at him, and smiled. Sawyer looked back again, to see if they were still there. Of course, Kate and Jack were impatiently waiting at the bottom. Jack sighed once he saw that Sawyer had turned around.

"Let's go," Kate whispered in Jack's ear. "_Quietly._" Jack nodded, then turned around with Kate. Once they were far enough in the distance, Jack crossed his arms as he walked while Kate let out happy laughs.

"Wow," Jack said, amazed. "I haven't seen you so… happy before. It's kind of… startling." Kate stopped, and raised an eyebrow at Jack, still smiling. Then she looked behind him, at the rustling trees and leaves. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed Jack's hand.

"We gotta go," she said, not taking her eyes off the spot. "C'mon, Jack! We have to leave!"

"What for?" Jack asked, turning around. He turned back around to Kate again. "What is it? What are you looking at?"

Suddenly, Jack didn't feel so good. He dropped to the ground, wincing.

"Jack?" he heard from a distance. "_Jack!_"

* * *

"You made her go away!" Jack cried out, crossing his arms.

"Why does that matter?" James asked, looking back at Jack and smiling slyly. "Is she your new girlfriend? Because, I can assure you, Jack-o, that she ain't coming back."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Jack asked, dropping his arms to his sides. James walked up to Jack again, sighing.

"You _really_ want to know what I'm doing here?" James asked Jack, narrowing his eyes. "You want to know the truth?"

"Are you and Kate, um, related or somethin'?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. He cautiously took a step back. "'Cause you guys act the same." Jack left James laughing. "I take that as a no," he told himself, sighing.

"Well, we sure as hell act the same. You know what, boy?" James asked, putting his right arm on his hip. "You must be some unlucky kid, because you ran into two people you will _not_ like. See, here, for example," he said, taking out his wallet from his back pocket. He looked around in it for something. "Ah ha, here it is." He showed me a picture of some person on the card… but it wasn't him.

"Hey," Jack said, suspicious, "the guy in this picture ain't you." James smiled.

"I'm an _outlaw_." He pointed to the information. "Look at these, you blind idiot. It says here that I'm 23 years old, and I'm not. In this picture, the guy's birth date is 8/15/1982. I ain't that old. And you know what's funny? Ya know that girl Kate? She's just like me. A partner in crime."


	6. The Red Shirt

"Right," Jack said, not believing James. He crossed his arms and faced the other way. "I believe that _you're_ an outlaw. But not Kate…. That can't be true…right?"

James laughed out loud. "Believe whatever you want, _Jackass._"

* * *

"Jack!" a voice cried. "Oh my god! _Jack?_"

Jack tried to sit up, but instead he cried out in pain. "What the hell!"

"Jack!" Kate cried happily, putting a hand to Jack's face. "Don't move."

"W-Why am I in so much pain? Kate, what happened?" Jack asked eagerly, not daring to move. "What happened to you?" He looked at her, and saw that she had scratch marks across her face and her shirt was ripped and scratched where her stomach was. He looked down at himself and gasped. Same thing happened to him. He looked around and saw Sawyer.

"Hey," he warned, "I didn't do nuthin'. So don't go blaming me for something I didn't do."

"What did all this?" Jack asked, putting a hand to his head.

"A damn polar bear," Sawyer said, pointing to the ground near him. A plop white bungle of fat lay there, motionless. "I saved your friggin' life, Doc. So give me some respect."

"Thanks," Jack said, and actually gave Sawyer a smile.

"Dammit!" Sawyer cried out. "Don't give smiles at me, though. That is disturbing." Jack laughed out loud, but then got serious again.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Jack asked. "How am I going to stand up?"

"Don't worry," Kate said, "I'll help you. And what happened back there? Why did you just… stop? I mean, you fell on the ground and I called to you so many times!"

"Another flashback. Can you believe it?" Jack replied.

"Oh, no, no, no. Let's not get started with that again," Sawyer said, crossing his arms. "_Hell_ no."

"Sawyer?" Kate asked. She glanced up at him.

"What?" he replied harshly.

"Do you still have that shirt you found on the ground? I need to put it on Jack because his leg is… bleh," Kate explained, folding Jack's pant leg up. She glanced at the cut, and, disgusted, quickly turned away. "Ouch, that must hurt."

"Yeah, I still have the shirt," Sawyer said, "I have it here." He picked something up from the ground.

"Okay," Kate said, facing Jack again. "I'm gonna wrap the shirt around your leg and me and Sawyer are going to help you walk back to the caves, okay?"

"What?" Sawyer said.

"I said, you're going to help me carry Jack. So that's what you're going to do…," Kate repeated angrily. "Now toss me that shirt." Sawyer tossed Kate the shirt.

"Hey," Jack said. "That shirt looks vaguely familiar. Wasn't that Boone's or something? I remember him wearing a red shirt…"

"Yeah," Kate replied, shrugging, "I guess Locke threw it on the ground. I guess he never wanted it anymore since Boone… you know." She looked down, sad. She got the red shirt and tied it around Jack's leg. "There," she said, smiling, "now the shirt is _all yours._"


	7. Missing

"Can we _please_ get back to the damn beach or somethin'?" Sawyer begged harshly.

"Sawyer, you have to help me carry Jack. I can't carry him by myself," Kate told Sawyer, glaring at him. "Now _help!_" Kate helped Jack up while having one of her shoulders under his left arm. "Sawyer…!" she said, "help!" Sawyer sighed, frustrated, and put a shoulder under Jack to help.

"Happy?" Sawyer said sarcastically.

"Very," Kate replied, smiling teasingly.

Jack leaned in on Kate, about to fall, but Sawyer quickly said, "Hey! No time for kissin', Doc. Let's go for God's sake!" Kate rolled her eyes, and they started to walk towards the beach.

The only thing that was currently on Jack's mind was his flashback, though. An outlaw? Now he knew the truth. Kate _was_ an outlaw. Just like Sawyer. Jack wanted her to change. _Badly_. That's all he thought about until they came upon the caves. Everyone stared up to look at them, and Jack seemed to snap out of his thoughts.

The first thing Locke looked at was the red shirt around Jack's lower leg.

"What are you doing with that?" he asked, standing up from a log. "I thought I threw that in a well-hidden area."

"And you sure did," Sawyer said, rolling his eyes. "We were in the middle of no where. No, wait! We _are_ in the middle of no where!"

"Now's no time for jokes," Kate said seriously, helping Jack sit down on his little 'doctor bench'. She inhaled a deep breath, clearly tired. Sitting down next to Jack, she smiled at him. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know about Locke. What's up with him?" Jack said. He looked at the red shirt wrapped around his leg. "I mean, what's so special? Well… this _was_ Boone's, but… I mean, does it matter to him or something? We just happened to pass by it-"

"Okay, I get the point," Kate said, chuckling. She put a hand on Jack's shoulder, as Locke walked up to them.

"I'm serious, here. I need that shirt back," he said, putting a hand out to Jack. Jack sighed, and started to unwrap the shirt, but Kate put her hand on Jack's hand.

"Wait," she said, looking up at Locke. "Can we give it to you later?"

Locke hesitated, then sighed, knowing he couldn't convince them not to. He shrugged, then turned to walk away. But he quickly turned around again and warned, "Don't do anything stupid." Locke turned around _again_, then went back to fixing his backpack on the log. From time to time, he kept glancing up at Jack and Kate, as if he were spying on them.

"Sometimes he scares me," Kate admitted, serious. "I wonder _why_ he wants that shirt now. It's like it's haunted or something." Kate and Jack laughed out loud. "Hey, where's Sawyer?" Jack and Kate looked around.

"I don't know," Jack replied, looking around still. "Maybe he went for a walk or something. After all, that guy _is_ mysterious." Kate shrugged at the thought. Jack took the red shirt off and placed it next to him on the bench.

"It isn't _that_ bad," he said to himself out loud, sighing with relief. "Thank God." He moved his leg, to check it. "And my leg works perfectly." Smiling, he stood up, and tried to catch his balance. Kate caught Jack as he was about to fall, putting her hands around his waist. Smiling, Jack turned to face her.

Then, out of no where, Jack and Kate heard a gunfire. Everybody at the caves stopped what they were doing, some terrified, and some just plain surprised and shocked.

"Sawyer," Kate whispered, letting go of Jack. "I have to find him. He's the only one I know with a gun on this island," she told Jack, and started to walk away.

"Wait, I'm coming too," Jack said, putting a hand on her arm. He walked next to her, and did a pretty good job, assuming that his cut hurt like crazy. But he didn't want to be left alone, so he might as well fake it. "Okay, lets go," Jack said. "No, wait." He ran back to the bench and grabbed the red shirt, wrapping it around his leg. "Okay, _now_ lets go."


	8. Finding Kate & Sawyer

**Wow. Thanks for the reviews! I had writer's block, and I lost the document I made of this chapter I wrote a long time ago… so I decided to write it… again.**

"What was _his_ problem?" Jack said, smirking.

"Wow. I haven't seen you this angry for a long time," Kate said, smiling. Jack was slowly tagging along behind Kate, as they were in search for Sawyer.

"Where do you think Sawyer is?" Jack asked, looking around. He continued to limp every time he walked. Hitting his foot on a sharp and jagged rock, he grunted in pain. Kate turned around to face him.

"You know, maybe you coming along wasn't such a good idea," she said seriously. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll live… hopefully. And why would I let you go in the jungle all alone?" Jack asked. He smiled warmly at her, and she grinned back. Kate turned around and they started walking again. "I don't know where Sawyer is, but I have an idea."

"Oh, and what is that?" Jack asked, his eyebrows slightly rising.

Kate shrugged, not turning around. "I don't know."

"Okay…," Jack said, not believing Kate. "Let's just follow where we heard the scream, then." Kate nodded, still not turning around. Then she stopped, then faced Jack. She put a finger to her lips, signaling for Jack to be quiet. Jack was confused, but did as Kate had commanded him to. He stayed quiet. Kate heard a little rustle in the trees. Jack heard it too. Jack slowly made his way to Kate.

"What was that?" he whispered to her. Kate shrugged.

"I don't know," Kate replied honestly. "I'm gonna see what it is. Stay right here." She turned to leave, but Jack quickly grabbed her arm.

"Hey, I'm coming, too. What do you expect me to do? Just stay here and do nothing but worry about you?" Jack whispered back. Kate sighed.

"Let's go," she said, and then quietly crept to the sound. To their surprise, nothing was there. Kate sighed again. "All that for nothing!"

"I bet it was just the wind, then," Jack said, also sighing.

"Haha," a voice said, laughing. Jack and Kate turned around. It was Ethan. "Hey. That's _my_ red shirt. Why the hell do you have it?" Jack frowned.

"It's just a damn shirt!" Jack cried, taking it off his leg. He threw it on the ground, and made his way to Ethan.

* * *

"Anyway, I'll be leavin' ya now," James said, smiling cruelly. He snapped the wallet closed and put it in his back pocket. "Have fun findin' Kate." James laughed out loud.

"Whatever," Jack said, rolling his eyes. "If you say so." Jack was actually 'happy' that James was leaving. Jack thought of James as a… crazy person. Jack sighed, then turned around to go and find Kate. He glanced behind his shoulder a few times, looking if James was following him or not. Sure, it was a crazy idea, but who knew what James would do?

"Kate!" Jack called out loud. "_Kate! _Ya here?"

Silence.

"I'm never going to find her," Jack said to himself, sighing again. "_What a day._" He checked his watch. It was almost seven o' clock. His dad was going to start wondering where he was. "Maybe I should just stop," he said aloud, almost whispering. He shut his eyes for a while and sighed. Jack opened his yes and screamed.

"_Kate!_"


	9. Bears 'n Bees

Kate smiled. "Sorry for, um, leaving like that… It's just that… You know, if I meet someone I really like and I get embarrassed… ya know?"

"'_Someone I really like'_?" Jack repeated, smiling slyly. Kate put a hand over her mouth.

"I was _not_ supposed to say that," she said, starting to laugh. She brushed one of her hair out from in front of her cheek, placing it behind her ear.

"Glad I found you," Jack said, smiling at Kate warmly.

* * *

"Jack, no, please!" Kate pleaded, trying to snatch Jack's shirt. "Come back here!" She failed to grab Jack. "Jack, you can't walk well!"

"Yeah, listen to your _girlfriend_," Ethan said, laughing out loud.

"I thought you were _dead_," Jack said, stopping in his tracks. "Why are you here? And what do you want! I thought we took care of you already!"

"Jack, please!" Kate cried. Jack turned around.

"I know what I'm doing!" he cried out. Jack turned back around to face Ethan again. He gasped. Ethan was gone. He looked down at the ground to see if he left any footprints. None, but the shirt was gone. "Great! Just great! I lost him now! He went away!…"

"Jack, please, calm down," Kate said calmly. "I'm _sure_ that we'll see Ethan again. _Please_, just… _relax._" Jack took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I guess I kind of acted crazy there," he confessed, smiling sadly. "I can't believe we're _still_ not on this island. This is, like, Jurassic Park times five or something! And we still have to find Saw-" Suddenly, someone who was running at full speed crashed into Jack and Kate, all three of them knocking them to the ground. Jack and Kate were suddenly alert. They looked up at the person who hit them. Sawyer.

"Sawyer? Where were you!" Kate said, standing up. "and why were you running as if you just saw a ghost!"

"Well, if you consider seeing a big fat white bear and a crazy bitch named Ethan in less than a minute, then, yeah! _I've seen _two_ ghosts!_" Sawyer cried out, quickly standing up. "And you know what? One of 'em is right behind me!" He hurriedly grabbed Jack by his shirt to help him stand up. "C'mon, Doc! Pick up the paste, we don't got all day here!"

Jack and Kate followed Sawyer to… wherever he was going. Jack tried his best to run as fast as he could with Kate's help.

"Then you shouldn't have been that far from where we were when you bumped into us!" Jack called out to Sawyer, who was in front of him still. "Because we bumped into him not too long before he disappeared and you _appeared!_"

"What are you talking 'bout?" Sawyer asked, as if Jack were crazy. "You know how far I was away from ya! It took me forever to even _find_ you friggin guys!"

"What?" Kate asked, pushing a branch from out of her way. "Are you good at math, Sawyer?"

"No, but I am good at _this!_" Sawyer said, stopping dead in his tracks. He turned around with his gun in his hand. His arm was still at his side, then he started to slowly raise it to Jack's face. Jack looked confused and a little panicked.

"Sawyer… What are you doing?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Don't you dare move, Doc," Sawyer said, then pulled the trigger. Jack closed his eyes, then opened this again. Nothing happened to him. "What did you expect me to do? _Shoot you or somethin'?_" He laughed out loud. "Look behind ya!" Jack did as told. He turned around to find a big polar bear not too far away from where they were all standing. Kate walked up to Jack's side, not taking her eyes off it.

* * *

"Yeah, glad that you found me," Kate said, returning Jack's kind smile. Her smile quickly disappeared. "Don't move, okay? Just… don't move."

"What?" Jack asked, confused. "What is it?"

"Did you ever know that there's a beehive somewhere in this park? A really _big_ beehive?" Kate asked, gulping. She took Jack's hand, and started to move backwards slowly, away from whatever was behind Jack.

"Well, no," Jack confessed. "I barely go to this park… and I never noticed." He was suddenly alert of why she brought up the topic. "They're behind me, aren't they?"

"Nah, they're _almost_ behind you. C'mon, we gotta get out of here," Kate said. She smiled. "Have you ever gotten stung before?"

"No," Jack said, "but you've climbed on lots of trees before, right? I guess it's not as bad as being chased by a bear or something." Jack smiled. "As if _that_ would ever happen to me." Kate and Jack laughed out loud.


End file.
